By Sara Jane Richter
Having grown up outside Hennessey, Ruth Vaverka has been a Hennessey resident her whole life, but she graduated from Pioneer High School. She started out her career as a medical records expert, but she shifted her focus when she realized that the oil and gas industry paid better wages than minimum wage. Therefore, in the early 1980’s, Ruth started to work for Johnny Curran, Jr. in his CPA office. There, she had hands-on experience thathelped her become a full-fledged accountant, spending her time doing payroll, figuring out sales tax, and keeping books for clients of the company. She enjoyed the change in her life direction as she freely admits that she loves working with numbers. Along the way, she married Patrick, and they had two sons: Evan and Eli.
In 2019, Curran retired from the accounting business which was purchased by Hann-Plummer; the new owners retained employees and clients which pleased Ruth to no end. Her favorite part of her position involves counseling clients and getting to know them. In Hennessey, that didn’t pose a problem as she saw them at the local grocery, pharmacy, and cafes.
She enjoys the camaraderie she has with her clients, with whom she has dealt for years. In addition, she appreciates the small-town atmosphere of her office. The world of accounting is high-pressure, but working in a tight-knit community eases the pressure in many ways. Through the years, Ruth has motivated herself to learn as much as possible about her chosen field; she prides herself on being a quick learner and having learned much about the field on her own.
As her career progressed, she had to integrate computer systems and programs into her daily work routines, so she shifted from old-fashioned hard-copy spreadsheets to modern computerized software tools such as Excel and Oracle NetSuite. She dedicated herself to learning new programs and methods demanded by the computer age. If she didn’t learn, she wouldn’t progress in the profession or be valued by her employer.
Ruth unselfishly has given of herself to her job and her clients and honestly claims that there’s not much she doesn’t like about her position and responsibilities. Yet, she did indicate that tax season is quite stressful and lengthy. She would not change a thing about her “great career” or the direction that it took her.
However, she has determined that retirement is in the near future. Most of all, she’ll miss working with her clients. She has tried to anticipate the calm and quiet of retirement, but she understands that it will take some time to decompress. She and her husband love to travel, so they will make lots of trips, especially fishing trips. They already have a first post-retirement jaunt planned for a Texas lake.
If you don’t know Ruth Vaverka, you really should get to know her. Hennessey residents speak highly of her and admit that she is a wonderful woman and a dedicated employee. Retirement looks good to Ruth as the old urge to self-motivate has evaporated of late, and she always knew that when that occurred, it would be time to log off and turn in her office keys. She has enjoyed her career and life and will continue to press on, but now, she carriesa tackle box in one hand and a rod and reel in the other. I hope that the fish bite on every lure she drops in the water.
If you’d like to wish Ruth well in retirement and thank her for a job well done, attend the come-and-go reception for her at the Hann-Plummer offices at 400 E. Jack Choate Avenue in Hennessey from 2 pm to 4 pm on Friday, May 3.
